A look at where you do — and don’t — want your favorite driver to finish
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Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout.
There are no points awarded for performance in the Sprint Unlimited, but there’s still plenty at stake. History has proven that.
Not only is it incredibly likely that the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion is in Saturday night’s field, but it’s also likely that he or she will perform well in the 25-car, 75-lap exhibition at Daytona International Speedway that kicks off the season.
Here’s where you want your driver to finish on Feb. 14 (8 p.m. ET, FOX) if you want him or her to have the best chance to be standing on the championship podium in November. Oh, and where you don’t want them to finish? We’ll go over that, too.
Keep this handy when you watch Saturday’s action, and check back for an updated version of this story after the race ends.
The Good
33
• There have been 36 Sprint Unlimited races, with the first one coming in 1979. In 33 of 36 races (91.7 percent), the eventual series champion for that year was in the field.
1st or 4th
• The most common finishing position in a Sprint Unlimited for a driver who would go on to win the championship that same year? It’s a tie between first and fourth — there have been seven instances of each (19.4 percent each). Dale Earnhardt won the Sprint Unlimited (then called the Busch Clash) in four of his seven championship seasons. The most recent driver to accomplish this feat is Tony Stewart in 2002. The most recent driver to finish fourth in the Unlimited and then win the title that same year is Brad Keselowski in 2012.
Editor’s note: Matt Kenseth won Saturday night’s race, and Casey Mears finished fourth.
5.8
• The average finish in the Sprint Unlimited for a driver who won the title that same year is 5.8.
Editor’s note: Kyle Larson finished fifth Saturday night, and Joey Logano finished sixth.
The OK
5th place
• A driver has finished fifth place in the Unlimited and then gone on to win the title in four different instances (11 percent). The most recent driver to do this was Kevin Harvick last year.
3rd, 11th, 14th
• Future champions have finished third, 11th and 14th in the Sprint Unlimited three times apiece. The latest: Jimmie Johnson finished 14th in 2013, Tony Stewart finished 11th in 2011 and Johnson finished third in 2008.
Editor’s note: Carl Edwards finished third Saturday night; Kevin Harvick finished 11th and Greg Biffle was 14th.
The Ugly
DNF
• Worried about your favorite driver possibly getting in a wreck or having car problems? The odds are long, but three times a driver did not complete the exhibition race but still won the title that year — Bobby Allison in 1983, Jeff Gordon in 1998 and Johnson in 2013.
Editor’s note: Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon, Aric Almirola, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray and Brad Keselowski did not finish Saturday’s race.
No chance
• Numbers to watch out for. A driver has never finished 16th or worse in the Unlimited and won the title. Other finishing positions that have never produced a future champion: seventh, 10th and 12th.
Editor’s note: Jeff Gordon finished seventh, Danica Patrick finished 10th and Ryan Newman finished 14th.